Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) had a tongue in cheek response to a question from a reporter on whether he believed in aliens, saying the Pentagon would tell Americans if they existed — in order to request funds.

McCarthy quipped, “I will continue to see but I think if we had found a UFO, I think the Department of Defense would tell us because they probably want to request more money.”

The Speaker’s comments on unidentified aerial phenomenon (UAP) come as Republican lawmaker Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) confirmed Monday that the House Oversight Committee will hold a hearing on UAPs on Wednesday next week.

“I’d love to see whatever facts and information we have,” McCarthy added Monday. “I’m very supportive to letting the American public see whatever we have.”

Public interest in UAPs and UFOs has peaked in the recent weeks after video clips of unexplained aerial phenomena captured by the cameras and sensors on military jets went viral. 

The push to declassify more information about UAPs and UFOs comes after Air Force veteran David Grusch, a former member of the National Geospatial Intelligence Agency, told NewsNation that the U.S. government has recovered non-human craft for decades. 

In the Senate, Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) and Mike Rounds (R-S.D.) have also introduced an amendment to the National Defense Authorization Act to create a collection of records on UAPs and UFOs to be disclosed to the public immediately unless a review board provides reasons to keep them classified.

“For decades, many Americans have been fascinated by objects mysterious and unexplained and it’s long past time they get some answers,” Schumer said in a statement. “The American public has a right to learn about technologies of unknown origins, non-human intelligence, and unexplainable phenomena.  

The number of reported UFO incidents has sharply increased, with more than 360 incidents having been reported or discovered in the past two years, according to an intelligence report published earlier this year.